Pregnant singer says she was booted from flight because of crying toddler

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (KTRK) -- A crying toddler got his pregnant mother kicked off an international United Airlines flight out of San Francisco.

Pregnant singer/songwriter Sarah Blackwood of the band Walk Off the Earth says her son, 23-month-old Giorgio, was crying just before takeoff on Wednesday's Vancouver-bound flight.

"When everyone was boarded, my son got very fussy," Blackwood, 34, told ABC News. "He started to cry really loud, he was squirming in my arms and I was doing everything I could to hold onto him."

Blackwood says she was next told by a flight attendant to "control her child" and "learn how to calm him down as the parent." If she couldn't comply, the flight attendant warned the pregnant mother would be asked to leave the plane.

Minutes later, the plane was headed back to the terminal.

"I was embarrassed, and I felt like I had done something wrong. You want your child to be perfect on every airplane, but that's just not the case," Blackwood told ABC News.

SkyWest, which operated that United Airlines flight, says it acted "out of concern" for Giorgio's safety.

"Despite numerous requests, the child was not seated... and was repeatedly in the aisle of the aircraft before departure and during taxi," a statement said.

But Blackwood, along with other passengers on the flight, say that statement is a lie.

"I was in a window seat, 11-A, and I had my baby in my lap because he's technically not 2 yet, so he has to sit there," Blackwood said. "There was also a gentleman sitting next to me. My son would have literally had to crawl over that man to get to the aisle, which he wouldn't do because he's pretty shy."

Blackwood was later allowed to board another flight to her destination. She's also gotten online support from other parents via social media.

"I was doing the best that I could. I'm not a bad mother because I couldn't get my son to stop crying at that particular moment. That's how babies are," Blackwood said.